An apparatus for displaying an EPG guide bar includes: an EPG data extraction part extracting EPG data from a signal through a channel; a first memory storing the EPG data; a second memory storing a broadcast program; a user interface display part producing a guide bar having a fixed indicator displaying a present time with the help of a graphic processor, sliding title areas of broadcast programs corresponding to the EPG data of the first memory in the guide bar on real-time correspondingly to the present time, and updating the title areas with a predetermined time interval centering around the fixed indicator so as to produce information indicating a record proceeding status on at least one of the title areas of the broadcast programs which are being recorded in the second memory; and an on-screen display part converting the information from the user interface display part into an on-screen display form so as to display the converted information on a display.
Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. An apparatus for displaying a program guide bar, comprising: a channel demodulation part configured to demodulate a received broadcast signal; a transport part configured to divide the broadcast signal outputted from the channel demodulation part into data related to program schedule information and a plurality of broadcast programs; a memory configured to store the divided broadcast programs; a decoder configured to extract the program schedule data from the data related to the program schedule information; a user interface display part configured to produce information for sliding additional information areas of the broadcast programs, the additional information areas being included in a guide bar having a fixed indicator that is fixed without varying with time, corresponding to the program schedule data and entering the guide bar from a right end in broadcast order so as to slide to a left end; a control part configured to record a broadcast program when an additional information area of the broadcast program passes through the fixed indicator; and an on-screen display part configured to convert the information input from the user interface display part into an on-screen display form, wherein the fixed indicator has a visual representation to display the present time at the moment of displaying on the fixed indicator and a length of a part of the guide bar located to a left of the fixed indicator is proportional to a capacity of the memory.
2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein each length of the additional information areas of the broadcast programs is proportional to a broadcast length of a real broadcast program.
3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the guide bar is displayed at a lower part of the screen.
4. A method of displaying a program guide bar, comprising the steps of: demodulating a received broadcast signal; dividing the broadcast signal into data related to program schedule information and a plurality of broadcast programs; detecting program schedule data from the data related to the program schedule information; producing information for sliding additional information areas of the divided broadcast programs, the additional information areas being included in a guide bar having a fixed indicator that is fixed without varying with time, corresponding to the program schedule data and entering the guide bar from a right end in broadcast order so as to slide to a left end; recording a broadcast program when an additional information area of the broadcast program passes through the fixed indicator; and displaying with sliding the additional information areas of the broadcast programs, wherein the fixed indicator has a visual representation to display the present time at the moment of displaying on the fixed indicator and a length of a part of the guide bar located to a left of the fixed indicator is proportional to a capacity of a memory.
5. The method of claim 4 , wherein the additional information areas of the broadcast programs slide from a right end of the guide bar through the fixed indicator to a left end of the guide bar, when a viewer watches the broadcast program in the order of play of the broadcast program.
6. The method of claim 4 , wherein the additional information areas are displayed in a manner that a part displaying a recorded amount of the memory is distinguishable as a part displaying an empty part of the memory.
7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the additional information areas slide with a constant time interval so as to represent the extent of storing the broadcast program.
8. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the additional information area includes a title area of the broadcast program.
9. The method of claim 4 , wherein the channel signal is inputted via one of a terrestrial wave, a cable line, a telephone modem line and a satellite.
10. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the guide bar and the fixed indicator are temporarily displayed.
11. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the fixed indicator is automatically displayed according to a viewer's selection or change of contents of the broadcast program.
12. An apparatus for displaying a program guide bar, the apparatus comprising: a channel demodulation part configured to demodulate received broadcast signals; a transport part configured to divide the broadcast signals into data related to program schedule information and a plurality of broadcast programs; a memory configured to store at least one of the divided programs; a decoder configured to extract program schedule data from the data related to the program schedule information; a user interface display part configured to display a fixed indicator separating each storage extent for the stored programs and a remaining extent of the memory on the program guide bar at a current time, and the program schedule data for each stored program from the decoder; and an on screen display part configured to convert the fixed indicator and the program schedule data into an on-screen display form, wherein the fixed indicator is fixed without varying with time, the program guide bar slides by the fixed indicator so as to simultaneously represent an instant storage extent for a current broadcast program being stored currently, a preserved storage extent for each program having already been stored, and one of the broadcast programs being currently demodulated, and wherein the fixed indicator has a visual representation to display the current time at a moment of displaying on the fixed indicator and a length of a part of the guide bar located to a left of the fixed indicator is proportional to a capacity of the memory.
13. An apparatus for displaying a program guide bar, the apparatus comprising: a channel demodulation part configured to demodulate received broadcast signals; a transport part configured to divide the broadcast signals into data related to program schedule information and a plurality of broadcast programs; a memory configured to store of the divided programs; a user interface display part configured to display a fixed indicator separating each storage extent for the stored programs and a remaining extent of the memory on the program guide bar at a current time; and an on screen display part configured to convert the fixed indicator and the storage extents into an on-screen display form, wherein the fixed indicator is fixed without varying with time, the program guide bar slides by the fixed indicator so as to simultaneously represent an instant recorded extent for a current broadcast program being currently demodulated from the received broadcast signals and a preserved storage extent for each program having already been stored, wherein the fixed indicator has a visual representation to display the current time at a moment of displaying on the fixed indicator and a length of a part of the guide bar located to a left of the fixed indicator is proportional to a capacity of the memory.
14. A method of displaying a program guide bar, comprising the steps of: demodulating received broadcast signals; dividing the broadcast signals into data related to program schedule information and a plurality of broadcast programs; storing the divided programs; extracting a program schedule data from the broadcast signals; and displaying a fixed indicator separating each storage extent for the stored programs and a remaining extent of a memory on the program guide bar at a current time, and the program schedule data for each stored program, wherein the fixed indicator is fixed without varying with time, the program guide bar slides by the fixed indicator so as to simultaneously represent an instant storage extent for a current broadcast program being stored currently, and one of the broadcast programs being currently demodulated from the received broadcast signals, wherein the fixed indicator has a visual representation to display the current time at a moment of displaying on the fixed indicator and a length of a part of the guide bar located to a left of the fixed indicator is proportional to a capacity of the memory.
15. A method of displaying a program guide bar, comprising the steps of: demodulating received broadcast signals; dividing the broadcast signals into data related to program schedule information and a plurality of broadcast programs; storing the divided programs; and displaying a fixed indicator separating each storage extent for the stored programs and a remaining extent of a memory on the program guide bar at a current time, wherein the fixed indicator is fixed without varying with time, the program guide bar slides by the fixed indicator so as to simultaneously represent an instant storage extent for current broadcast a program being stored currently, one of the broadcast programs being currently demodulated from the received broadcast signals, and a current time, and wherein the fixed indicator has a visual representation to display a current time at a moment of displaying on the fixed indicator and a length of a part of the guide bar located to a left of the fixed indicator is proportional to a capacity of the memory.
16. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the user interface display part displays simultaneously on the fixed indicator, a recorded amount of a current broadcast program being recorded currently, a recorded amount of a previous broadcast program recorded in the memory prior to the current broadcast program and titles of the current broadcast program and the previous broadcast program.
17. The method of claim 4 , wherein a recorded amount of a current broadcast program being recorded currently, a recorded amount of a previous broadcast program recorded in the memory prior to the current broadcast program and titles of the current broadcast program and the previous broadcast program are simultaneously displayed on the fixed indicator.
18. The apparatus of claim 12 , wherein the user interface display part displays simultaneously on the fixed indicator, the instant storage extent of the current broadcast program, a storage extent of a previous broadcast program stored in the memory prior to the current broadcast program and titles of the current broadcast program and the previous broadcast program.
19. The apparatus of claim 13 , wherein the user interface display part displays simultaneously on the fixed indicator, the instant recorded extent of the current broadcast program, a recorded extent of a previous broadcast program stored in the memory prior to the current broadcast program and titles of the current broadcast program and the previous broadcast program.
20. The method of claim 14 , wherein the instant storage extent of the current broadcast program, a storage extent of a previous broadcast program stored in the memory prior to the current broadcast program and titles of the current broadcast program and the previous broadcast program are simultaneously displayed on the fixed indicator.
21. The method of claim 15 , wherein the instant storage extent of the current broadcast program, a storage extent of a previous broadcast program stored in the memory prior to the current broadcast program and titles of the current broadcast program and the previous broadcast program are simultaneously displayed on the fixed indicator.
22. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the additional information areas are displayed in a manner that a part displaying an amount recorded in the memory is distinguishable as a part displaying an amount not recorded in the memory.
Cooperative Patent Classification codes for this invention. Click any code to explore related patents in that topic.
September 20, 2001
May 11, 2010
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